The Last Command is the third book of a trilogy which also includes Heir to the Empire (1991) and Dark Force Rising (1992). The first book introduces the situation of Thrawn and C'baoth as surviving rival "heirs to the empire," which was believed to be vanquished in the Battle of Endor. It is a fast-paced book made up almost entirely of action sequences. Even a pregnant Leia Organa Solo makes a terrifying escape from the Wookies' lofty treehouse dwellings early in the book. In Dark Force Rising, Karrde and Jade are revealed to be open to dealings with New Republic forces. The novel ends with a battle in which Thrawn captures the lost Katanga fleet, giving him new resources for his struggle to revive the old empire.

Other Star Wars novels have followed Zahn's trilogy. In chronological order of their events, these are: The Truce at Bakura (1994) by...